Bobbin releaser for weft replenishing mechanism



p 1951 w. A. BLANCHARD 8,6 7

BOBBIN RELEASER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM Filed April 5, 1950 z Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 55 55 W ILLLAM A. BLANGHARD ATTORNEY Sept. 18, 1951 w. A. BLANCHARD BOBBIN RELEASER FOR WEF'T REPLENISHING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1950 FIGJO FIG."

E INVENTOR WILLIAM A. BLANGHARD @Kw. l.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 18, 1951 BOBBIN RELEASER FOR WEFT REPLENISH- ING MECHANISM William A. Blanchard, Millbury, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 3, 1950, Serial No. 153,675

This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing mechanisms more particularly of the multicolor type and it is the general object of the invention to provide an improved bobbin releaser for such mechanisms.

The usual multicolor weft replenishing mechanism employs so-called bobbin cradles at the bottoms of the stacks of reserve bobbins. These cradles are normally empty but when a weft replenishing operation is called involving any par- .ticular color the corresponding cradle is rocked first in one direction to receive the bottom bobbin of the superposed stack of bobbins While the shuttle is at the magazine or replenishing end of the loom. At a later time when the depleted shuttle is about to return to the replenishing end of the loom the cradle is given a reverse rocking motion to discharge its bobbin, whereupon the latter moves to a transfer position from which it is inserted into the shuttle.

The rocking of the cradles is effected by means of releasers mounted for vertical sliding motion on the replenishing mechanism. A rocking color slide ordinarily effects upward motion of a releaser to produce the first of the previously mentioned rocking motions of the cradle, and thereafter lowers the releaser to its normal position for the purpose of effecting the second of the previously mentioned rocking motions of the cradles. When descending the releasers act by means of dogs on their upper ends to set the magazine for bobbin transfer. Each releaser has two vertically spaced lugs for engagement with the color slide, and in a four-color magazine the lugs of the two inner releasers align with the latter, but the lugs of the front and back releasers are offset. Furthermore, the lower ends of the releasers have cam slots for cooperation with their cradles, and these cam slots are formed in wings or the like two of which are disposed to the right and the other two of which are disposed to the left of their respective releasers. It has been customary in the past to make four of these releasers for a four color weft replenishing mechanism, all four releasers being different and each requiring its own pattern and machining operations.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide releasers made in such manner that a minimum number of parts are required for producing the various types required in the multicolor weft replenishing mechanism.

One feature of the invention is that the releaser is made of laminations having perforations to receive tongues or tangs on the offset lugs for 12 Claims. (Cl. 139-232) 2 the color slide. These tongues assist in holding the laminations together. Another feature is that only two types of lugs are required to perform the function of the four lugs of the front and back releasers.

It is another object of the invention to make releasers with reversible wings formed with the aforesaid cam slots, these wings being preferably fiat so that when applied to the bottoms of the releasers they can extend either to the right or the left, as desired.

It is still another object of the invention to form the lower ends of the releasers with cavities or the like to receive the upper parts of the aforesaid wings. These cavities may be provided by notches in the intermediate laminations between support lugs on the outer laminations.

It is a still further object of the invention to make the aforesaid dogs of sheet metal having curved arms to inclose part of a metallic cup for a compression spring which acts on the dog.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the in-- vention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a con-- venient embodiment of the invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a multicolor weft replenishing mechanism having the invention applied thereto, the releasers being shown in their normal down position,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale on line 22, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail transverse section through the upper part of one of the releasers and the associated dog on line 3-4, Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail horizontal section on line 4-4, Fig. 1, showing part of one of the releasers and the cradle operating wing associated therewith,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section on line 5-5, Fi 2,

Figs. 6 and 7 are a plan and a front elevation, respectively, of one of the offset lugs used for the front and back releasers,

Figs. 8 and 9 are side and front elevations, respectively, of the wing member which is applicable to the bottoms of all of the releasers,

Figs. 10 and 11 are rear and side elevations, respectively, of one of the outer laminations for the front and back releasers,

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the lower end of an intermediate lamination used with the longer releasers,

Figs. 13 and '14 are similar to Figs. and 11, but show one of the shorter releasers,

Fig. 15 is similar to Fig. 12 but shows part of an intermediate lamination for the short releaser,

Fig. 16 is a perspective View of the rearmost releaser,

Fig. V1'? is a perspective view of one of the short releasers,

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower end of an assembly of laminations for one releaser before the wing. is applied, andv Fig. 19 is a diagrammatic view showing.the.dis-.

position of the wings which operate the cradles for all four of the releasers and indicating hQWj only two types of offset lugs can. used to pro-L vide the four lugs releasers.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, the loornirarne for the long front and back a I supports a multicolor weft replenishing mechaishing end of the loom and indicates weft exhaustion through detector mechanism indicated at D. At a later time the color slide andshaft are rocked in an opposite direction for the purpose of releasing a bobbin and permitting it to move to the transfer position indicated in dotted lines at T Fig. l.

The magazine has cradles for controlling the bobbins which are arrangedin vertical stacks but not shown in Fig. 1. These cradles, from front to back, are designatedin i at 1,8, 5i and m, and are associated respectively with releasers Rl,

R2, R3 and R l mountedvfor verticalsliding on a frame plate H forming part of magazine M. Whenever areleaser israisedby the color, slide the corresponding cradlev rocks toreceive a bobbin, and when thereleaser is later depressed the cradle rocks oppositely to discharge its bobbin.

The magazine is providedinthe upper part thereof with a setting shaft l2to which is secured an operating or setting bar [3. The shaft and bar areordinarily at, rest and will not be moved by upwardmotionofany ofthe releasers,

but when a releaser is'depressed the bar [3 will be engaged by one or another of the dogs Di, D2, D3 or D4 on the upper ends of the, releasers, and will be rocked in a counter-clockwise direction, Fig. 2, to set the magazine for a replenishing operation; Each releaserhas a wedge l4 intermediate top and bottom notches 1 Sand it which receive one at a time a yielding lock plunger If the purpose of which-isto hold the releaser either in predetermined raisedor lowered position.

The matter thus far describedis. of common constructionand operates in the usual manner except for the particular form of releasers Ri -R4 and dogs Dl-D l. In the past the-releasers-have been made in one piece, generally. in theform of.

a casting, and it hasbeennecessary to have four difierent releasers requiring four different pat laminations which are preferably bonded together, as'by copper. Each releaser hasa cradle operating wing secured to the lower end'thereof,

and has a dog pivoted to the upper end thereof.

In addition the front and back releasers are provided with offset lugs having shanks or tangs which extend through and assist in holding the Referring more particularly to Fig. 16, the re-' leaser. R rhas; an: elongated body thereof made in. the present instance of five thin sheet metal parallel laminations. The right and left outside laminations are indicated at 3| and 32, and the three intermediate laminations are indicated at 33, 34 and 35, see Figure 4. All of the laminations 3-l-35- have their upper ends formed with an offset head 36 and are provided with perforations 3'! which'receive the pivot pin 38 of dog D4.

The latter dog is preferably made of sheet metal and has an operating pawl-like body or member 40 formed with side arms 4! and 42. As shown in Fig. 5- these arms have their free ends curvedtoward' eachother as" at 43 to partly inclose a metallic cup 4 4= welded b-razed, or otherwise secured to the bent arms 43. This cup is preferably made cylindricalwith a solid bottom 45 to receivethe down thrust of a compression spring it; the upper end of which is received by a pocket 47in head 36 which may be formed in the intermediate laminations 33-35 between the side laminations 3'l and- 32.

The effect of the spring I lS-tO-t6nd't0 turn the dog D4 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. When the releaser is in down-position may be similar to the one described in connection with Fig 2.

The lower endof releaser R4 is provided with the wing W4 which, as-shown more particularly in Fig. 8, is provided with aflat body having a b-obbincradle actuating slot 56 formed therein and disposed largely at one sidethereof. Ex-

' tending upwardly from body 55 is a neck or arm 5.? formed at the topthereof with a transverse head: 53. In the particular form of the invention set forth the head-5,8 will havea width corresponding to five times the thickness of a single lamination and the neck. filiwill'have a width corresponding to the thickness of'three of the laminations.

Asshown inFig. 10, whichshows one of the two side laminations of releaserR l; the lower end of. the outer. lamination 32 is provided with a notchor slotfit having a depth equal to the thickness of the neckfi] andheadjd; The bottom of the lamination has-awsecondnotchfil to W receive the upper part of body 55. Extending between the notches Eii and El is aguide lug 62.

The lower ends of each of the intermediate laminations are formed with a single elongated notch 63 preferably of the same. depth as the notches Giland 6|, see Fig. 12. a

'All of the laminations willbe provided with I upper and lower slots .or perforations 65 and 65,

being alignment. The upper offset lug 61 in high position may be formed for instance as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 from a bent piece of sheet metal having a lifting finger 6B bent at right angles to a lateral arm 69 from which projects a tongue or tang I0. As indicated in Fig. 7 the tang I is of less height than the arm 69 to form shoulders II. Lug 6'! has a top downwardly inclined beveled edge I2 and a horizontal lower edge I3.

The bottom lug I5 in low position on the releaser is similar to lug 61, but of the opposite hand and has a beveled lower edge I6 and a horizontal top edge 11 on a lifter finger I8. Lug 15 has an arm I9 similar to arm 69 and has a. tang 80 like tang I0, see Fig. 16.

When assembling the parts the laminations will first be arranged with the perforations 65 aligning and the lower perforations 66 also aligning.

The tang III of the top lug 61 will then be inserted into the aligned perforations 65 until the shoulders II engage the side laminations 3|. The tang is of such length as to extend through all of the laminations and is of a shape to have a snug fit in perforations 65. Thereafter, the lower lug 15 is similarly fitted with its tongue extended through the aligned perforations 66.

The wing W4 is then applied to the lower end of the assembled laminations with its head 58 entering the notches 60 of the side laminations and extending along the tops of the notches 63 of the intermediate laminations. To form the releaser R4 the wing will be disposed to the left of the elongated body 30. When the wing is in this position the neck 51 will extend along and between the guide lugs 62 of the side laminations and the upper part of the body 55 will be in the notches 6| of the side laminations and will extend across the lower ends of the notches 63 of the intermediate laminations. If desired, the lugs 62 may be peened or otherwise deformed to hold the neck 51 and head 58 in position. The space between lugs 62 for the neck is shown at BI in Fig. 18 and the space for head'58 is indicated at 59, and these spaces together form a T-shaped recess for the neck and head which is symmetrical about a line running lengthwise of the releaser.

The assembled parts are then put in a furnace so that all of the parts may be united, as by copper brazing, to form an integrated releaser. This bonding operation secures the laminations together, holds the tongues I0 and 80 to the laminations and assists the tongues to hold the laminations together, and also brazen the neck 51 and head 58 to the lower ends of the laminations. The front releaser RI will be made similarly to releaser R4, but with the lugs 61 and I5 disposed at the left, Fig. 1, and with wing WI reversed, or at the right.

Referring particularly to Fig. 17 which shows short releaser R2 it will be noted that the side laminations 82 and 83, and the intermediate laminations 84, have top and bottom lugs 85 and 86 integral therewith and in the planes of the laminations. During the brazing operation the several aligned lugs will be secured to each other. In other respects the releaser R2 will be similar to the releaser R4 except that ordinarily it will be shorter. Releaser R3 will be similar to releaser R2 except that the wing W3 is disposed to the right.

It will be noted that the wings W2 and W4 of the. releasers R2 and R4 extend to theleft of the elongated body 30 of the releaser. When it left and in other instances at the right.

is desired for instance to mak releaser R3 which has its wing W3 disposed at the right of the elongated body the wing will be turned over during assembly so that the slot 56 will be at the right instead of at the left. The two releasers R2 and R3 will be alike except for the right and left hand relationship of their wings. All the wings are alike and may be made as a. fiat sheet metal stamping.

Fig. 19 indicates diagrammatically how it is possible to use only two forms or types of offset lugs to form the four lugs required for the two releasers RI and R4. As shown at the left of Fig. 19, the lugs 61 and I5 are disposed as shown in Fig. 16 to form releaser R4. When it is dehave its tang inserted from the left into the: perforations 66 to form a bottom lug B'IA indi-- cated in dotted lines, Fig. 19. Similarly, the top" lug 15A of the releaser RI will be made by reversing a bottom lug I5 and then inserting its tang from the left into the perforations 65 of releaser RI. By this inversion the beveled edges I2 and I6 will be on the outer side of the space between the lugs, see Fig.16, provided for the associated finger 4 or 5 of the color slide 2. The lower part of Fig. 19 indicates how the wings W I-W4 can be disposed to adapt them to the several releasers.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth a cheap but durable form of bobbin releaser made of a plurality of thin sheet metal laminations assembled to form the spaces 8I and 59 for the neck and head of a bobbin cradle operating wing. The laminations and the wing are bonded together, as by a brazing operation. It will also be seen that the outer laminations 3I and 32 are provided with guide lugs 62 for the neck 51 of the wing, while the intermediate laminations are provided with the elongated notches 63 along which the neck extends. A single type of wing can be used for all of the releasers, the wing in certain instances being disposed at the The front and back releasers are made with two types of offset lugs having tongues which extend through and assist in binding together the several laminations of the releaser. To form the releaser R4 for instance the lugs 61 and 15 will be disposed as shown in Fig. 16, but in forming the releaser R1 the lugs will be inverted and their positions interchanged and their tongues inserted from the left side, as suggested in Fig. 19. The dogs.DI-D4 are each made of a piece of sheet metal having wings which are around and partly inclose a cup which receives the lower end of.

outer laminations having guide lugs and the inner laminations having notches between the lugs, and a cradle operating wing having a part extending into said notches between said lugs and secured to said laminations.

2. In a bobbin releaser: for a weft replenishing mechanism operating with a cradle, .a plurality laminations; the intermediatelamih-ationshaving notches at one end theme-rand? the, side lamina}- tions projecting along said notches; to define a recess, and a cradle operating wing having apart thereof extending into said recess and secured tosaid laminations.

3. In a bobbin releaser for a weft: replenishing mechanism operating: with a cradle, aplurality of elongated sheet metal body? forming parallel laminationsincluding side laminations' and intermediate laminationsbetweerr thev side 1a-minations, notches being formed at; one end; of the intermediate laminations; lugs formedonthe corresponding ends. of thev side laminations defining a recess with said notches; acradle operating wing formed with a neck extendin into; said recess, and bonding'metal integrating said lamina-jtions ,iwing and neck; V

4. In a bobbin releaser for a; Weft replenishing mechanism operating'witli a cradle, aplurality; of elongated sheet metal: parallel body fi r-ming laminations secured together in luding-side laminations and intermediate;- laminatipns: between the side laminationaadj acent ends-of the intermediate laminationabeing formed with notches, notches being formed in said side laminations communicatingwith part. of the. nQtQh fi the intermediate; iamiriationa andai -cradle opera n wing securedto 1Said laminationssand h vi a neck extending between said side iaminations formed with a head extending: into said notche in the side lamination-s. .7

5 In. a :bobbin'releaser for a weftreplenishing mechanism operating" cradle; a plurality of elongated parallel" sheet metal: lamin ions certain of whiohfformrthe; sides-.= of the relp'aSQr and the others of which are intermediate the; side laminations; lugs, on; the sidela'minations: adjacent one end of the. releaser projecting beyond adjacent parts of the: intermediate laminations defining; asp-ace which; isz central withl respect-to the length of the; releaseri between f saidlugs; and a cradle; operating wing formedof flat metathesiing a neck projecting upwardly therefrom" and securedto thelaminatiohs in'-saidespa,ce with said wing disposed either to the rightw or the left of the releaser;

6. In a bobbinreleasehfor anveitreplenishin mechanism operating with acrad1.e ,-apl1irality of sheet metal lam-inations secured together arranged side by side anct'form-ed atone en'd 'of the releaser with a T-shaped recess symmetrical about a line runninglengthwisemfi the releaser, and a cradle operatin wing; secured to the la-mie nations having a T-shaped extnsion toyfit; said T-shaped recess; said wing beingifl'at and capable of having said extension. inserted: into-said recess with the wing .disposed either 'toi the; right or-to the left of the releaser.

7. In a bobbin releasertor arweftxrepleni'shing mechanism; operating with acradle; a plurality of elongated sheet, metal; laminations; secured together and arranged 'sideabyrsiderandformed at one end of the releaserto providearecess runhing lengthwise'of thereleaser, and acradle operatin wing secured to the'laminations having an elongated extension tofit said'recessswhen the wing is disposed either totherightor the left of the releaser.

8." IR aJbObbI'm releaser tor a' wefit: replenishing mechanism operatingiwith a:colorslida aaplurah ityz' cat-elongated sheet metal laminations arranged side by, side having aligned perforations: formed therein, an operating lug having, an arm extending laterally from onev side, of the releaser and formed with an. operatingfinger-forthe color slide bent atzannangle' to said arm, and; a tongue; extending: from said arm into said aligned perforations:v andsecured' to the laminations to assist in; holding thelatter together. 7,

9. In a bobbin releaser for a weft replenishing mechanism:operatingwith a color slide, a plurali-tyrof sheet metal laminations arranged side, by side, and having aligned slots elongated in: the direction. ofthelength of the releaser, arrqp'erating lu'g: having an arm extending laterally: from the releaser and having an operating; finger; for the'color slide -bent atan angle to, thearmmtank projecting fro'msaid arm formed'to fitsaid slots extendinginto thelatter through all of the; laminations, and bonding metal securing said tongue .aindilaminations toaeacch other.

' 10.. l n-ga bobbin releaser for a weftreplenishing mee'hanism operating with a-setting'bar', anelongated? body having a recess in the upper end thereof, a: dog pivoted to'said' upper end of the releaser formed of a pieceof sheet metal having a pawlelike; body for the bar, a spring, receiving metallic cup; arms integral with said, pawlrlike bodyextending part-1y; around said cup? and bonded-to; the, latter, said cup being: open atthe upper end and closed at the lower end thereof,

and ascompression-spring the lower endof; which lendthereof insa-id recess.

12; 'llwo bobbinreleasers of opposite hand for weft replenishing mechanism, each: releaser having an elongated body, four operating; offset lugs for said tw releasers,ra-pair of; said lug-s be ngaidenticali and ofto e hand and: the; oth r pain beingidentical but: of; the opposite, hand, two jot-said lugs high-position and two; in low posi ion, of. the l f: i lfi tlp ir' bein attached to 'one'ofythe releasers in high position on the side thereof adjacent to the other releaser and 'the; other lug of said first pair beingattached nitheo her releaser on her i e r of adjac n to said nereleaserin low position, and one o,f --t;he lugs of said other pair beingattached to; said one-re eas r in l w po i ion-below d: one lug firstpai randpthje other lug ofsaid other pair e ng; attached; to the other releaser; in; high positionaboye said other lug oifsaidfirst, pair.

WILLIAM A. BLANCHARD.

H REFERENCES CITED Thefollowih references" are of record inth'e 

